At WaterBear, we take guitar seriously. Guitarists will learn in small groups of no more than 12, with every musician plugged into a Boss Katana for personal monitoring. You can also reference a variety of vintage and modern valve amps, from classic AC30’s, Plexi’s and JCM 800s, to a selection of modern options from Diesel and Victory. There’s also a selection of digital amp and cab simulation options too, and a wide variety of stomp boxes.

You’ll get the opportunity to learn the instrument inside out. You’ll investigate many different styles, genres and techniques to hone your own sound. We encourage you to bring a standard 6 string guitar in standard tuning, but we also love to see players arrive with 7 or 8 stringed instruments, acoustic guitars, and any other specialist gear you may want to use. Be open to innovative tunings too, as musical diversity is absolutely valued. Pedals? The more the merrier, but a decent tuner is the probably the most important.

Other essentials every guitar player will need include a portable, practical amp suitable for small gigs and practice, a metronome, and ear protection. Don’t feel pressured into having expensive gear though, as it’s perfectly possible to get great tones on budget equipment if you know how to make the most of it.

In addition to accessing the WaterBear facilities, the ability to record to a reasonable standard at home is also very useful.

Music industry guest visits take place throughout the year, showcasing some of the best artists and innovators in today’s music. Our guest programme varies each year and some of our recent guests are shown below.